Category Archives: travel

these Dutch cookies (literally translated as “syrup waffles”) are common in the Netherlands. they can be bought at supermarkets or fresh from vendors at markets. full disclosure: i have never had a fresh stroopwafel that was not from a supermarket (yet). i can only imagine they would be out of this world, since the ones i have eaten have been fantastic!

Buenos Aires has different neighbourhoods and the weekends (particularly Sundays) are the days when markets are filled with people.

it’s hard to see in the photo, but the sea of people continues to infinity (ok, just seems that way, it’s a pretty long street)

there are markets for food, jewellery, crafts, antiques…the San Telmo market is known for antiques. it was really something. so many knick knacks…

and even a place filled only with dolls (*shudder*).

i met an Irish girl while i was in Brazil who foolishly did not lock her backpack (or wear it on her front) and her wallet got snatched by a smooth criminal (unintentional pun, i swear). like any other big city filled with people, common sense is important but in an unfamiliar city, amp up the safety quotient a couple notches. the necessity of this was unfortunately a reminder more than once on this trip. even so, i personally never had any problems.

Christmas time in London is lovely, with many lights on the main streets and various Christmas trees throughout the city. although i have been to London before the holidays in the past few years, for whatever reason, i only just learned about “winter wonderland”.

since 2007, hyde park in london, uk, hosts “winter wonderland”, running from late november and ending in early january. a German Christmas market type feel, with added fair rides (think CNE), you can do some souvenir or Christmas shopping or just go for the food and the atmosphere.

if you just want something free to do for an evening, this can also be a good option, since there is no charge for admission.

various rides and amusement park games are available (does cost $)

wooden ties, anyone?

so, onto the food.

you can get burgers, and pizza and maybe some healthy veggie friendly food from various stalls. the likes of bratwurst and currywurst are pretty popular, and rightly so – German sausages never go out of style. especially if cooked on a huge circular grill, pretty awesome.

this is the sort of Christmas/winter market i would love to have at home. the rides i guess might be a tough sell if we have a particular snowy and/or cold december, but it seems like something that would be totally feasible down at the Exhibition midway area.

i would love to return again during this time period in future years. getting ready for Christmas with some festive outings at Christmas markets really adds to the holiday season for me.

have you been to London around the holiday season? what are things worth doing/seeing in the city around this time of year?

to those that also celebrate – Merry Christmas! Happy holidays to all!

thanks to a scene from “While You Were Sleeping” (a cute Sandra Bullock movie) where Saul says “Argentina has great beef”*, my taste buds started salivating at the thought. it’s been a long, drooly, 17 years.

this amazing steak was approx. $12-15 CDN

i was urged passionately by an Argentinian not to get steak more than medium doneness, his worry so strong that i would reinforce his belief of North Americans totally overcooking their steaks. i agree, it is a tragic waste, especially when medium-rare provided the perfect tenderness and chew, and plenty of juices full of great flavour. i wish i had a photo to show you, but the steak was so good it had my full attention.

if you’re wondering what might contribute to Argentinian beef being so great, for starters, grass-fed cattle are still much more popular, and the taste of the meat will differ from what most of us grain-fed beef eating North Americans are used to (with some exceptions of course). combine that with the way Argentines grill their meat. and the proverbial cherry on top is the value – the equivalent cost of a basic steak in a chain restaurant like the Keg would get you one of the top steaks in Buenos Aires (and i bet it would be mind-blowingly good).

tip #1: if going in winter (summer up here in the northern hemisphere), pack some warm clothes.

first thing to note for anyone that requires some geography refresher – Buenos Aires is quite far south. its latitude is roughly the same as Cape Town, South Africa. perhaps this is showing my poor geography knowledge as a south american virgin prior to this trip, but wow, who knew?! it’s not as cold as winter can be here at home, but wearing 2 layers underneath a gap fleece pullover isn’t quite enough. clothes aren’t as cheap as you may think, and chicks, don’t expect to find any hoodies. Argentinian women must take after the French (see tip #2 for more) – there is no casual wear that includes hoodies or yoga pants (off topic – someone pointed out to me recently that women wearing yoga pants in public is definitely a Canadian thing, not a North American thing. thoughts?)

isn’t it lovely inside Cafe Tortoni?

to warm up, have a coffee in any number of cafes, modern, retro, or perfectly european. the churros at Cafe Tortoni, the oldest coffee shop in Argentina were some of the best i’ve eaten anywhere!

açaí – the Brazilian antioxidant rich fruit you see in the natural food store in expensive juice or nutritional supplement powder form is commonly eaten in its home country as “açaí na tigela”.

my first açaí bowl – made for a great snack!

the frozen açaí berries are mashed and usually topped with granola and banana. it’s like having a bowl of sorbet, and it’s very tasty! açaí juice is also an option.

it was pretty easy to find places serving açaí na tigela, whether they were independent little cafes or ones that appeared to be a chain.

highly recommended to me prior to my visit to Brazil, i can now join the pro-açaí camp :) since you can’t find the frozen dish in the GTA (that i know of), i definitely recommend sampling a bit (or a lot!) whenever you find yourself in Brazil. bom apetite!